


Late Night Calls

by teen_content_queen



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: But Neil can't sleep and talking to Andrew helps, M/M, Neil uses his cellphone and Andrew is rightly surprised, andrew's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23845531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teen_content_queen/pseuds/teen_content_queen
Summary: Andrew is surprised to get a late night phone call from Neil while he's visiting his uncle in England.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 24
Kudos: 270





	Late Night Calls

Andrew blinked down at the phone a few times, confused. The name Neil Josten stared up at him from the caller ID. The boy who hated using a cell phone was calling Andrew. Flicking his book closed, he set it on the nightstand by his bed before flipping open his phone. 

“Josten.” He said. He could hear Neil breathing, the only thing that convinced Andrew there was someone on the other end of the call. He was about to say his name again when Neil’s voice cut through the silence.

“Hi.” 

His voice sounded a little breathy and cracked with disuse, but he sounded like Neil. Andrew relaxed a little, knowing he wasn’t in danger or trouble. Andrew sat up a little, moving to get comfortable. His adjustment caused King to let out an irritated sound by his side where she was already asleep. He shot her a look which she ignored in favor of curling up again, eyes already closed. 

“Your cat is a demon.”

That got a little chuckle through the line, the sound tinny on the long distance call. He heard the sound of a car passing nearby. Neil must be outside. Andrew checked the clock on Neil’s side of the bed and did the mental math.

“Junkie, you’re not stupid enough to take a run in a foreign country at 2 am, are you?”

“What? Oh, no. Just couldn’t sleep. I’m sitting on the front steps, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried.” Andrew lied.

Gently this time, he shifted his weight in bed. Without stirring King from her slumber, he slipped out from under the covers and crossed the small bedroom to the glass door that revealed a small balcony. 

He stepped out into the dark, plucking a cigarette from the pack always waiting on the small table they’d set up and took a seat in one of the two chairs. He lit his cigarette and looked out into the quiet night in front of him. He knew that across the ocean, Neil had a cigarette tucked between his lips, the smoke curling up towards his face. 

“I can let you go, if you’re busy.” Neil said quietly. 

“I just lit a cigarette.”

Andrew could have sworn he heard a small appreciative hum from the other end of the line. He flicked the ash from the end of his cigarette into the ashtray beside him. It needed to be emptied and he made a mental note to do that in the morning. He heard something rumble loudly through the phone speaker. He imagined one of those bright red double decker buses rumbling past Neil, interior lights displaying nearly empty seating. 

“How’s jolly old England?” Andrew asked, giving Neil permission to say whatever was on his mind. He heard Neil take in a breath.

“Fine.”

“105, Junkie.”

“It is fine...I just…” Neil breathed into the phone, so clear that Andrew resisted the urge to turn to Neil’s chair on the balcony to check that he wasn’t there. Andrew didn’t fill the silence even though he could feel Neil pleading for him to. Even across oceans and telephone lines, Andrew knew Neil.

“I miss home.” He finally said. Andrew could hear  _ I miss you _ in the static of the phone line. He sank into his chair a little, taking a deep pull from his cigarette. He blew out the smoke, watching it curl above his head and dissipate into the darkness. 

“Home misses you too.” Andrew said, meaning  _ I miss you too.  _ He continued,

“King is sleeping on your pillow. It’ll probably be full of cat hair when you get back.”

Neil let out a hum, no doubt picturing their fat now. 

“You’re remembering to feed them right?” He asked. Andrew let out an indignant scoff. 

“Yeah. Although Sir is starting to live up to her name so I think she should go on a diet.”

“She’s a cat.”

“Doesn’t mean we should let her get fat Neil.”

“You could stop giving her treats all the time.”

“I’m rewarding good behavior.”

“Meowing isn’t good behavior. It’s just like cat talk.” Neil argued. 

“You’re just mad that she likes me better than you.”

“Because you’re giving her treats all the time. It’s not really an earned respect.”

Andrew just clicked his tongue, not justifying Neil’s logic with an answer. He finished his cigarette and snuffed it into the ashtray, sliding down into his chair and bracing both feet on the railing in front of him.

“How was practice?”

“Junkie.” Andrew said. Of course Neil was thinking about Exy at 2 am while he was away visiting his crazy mafia family. Andrew shook his head.

“If you want to talk about Exy, call Kevin.” He added for good measure. 

“He’s probably up watching the USC game…” There was a long moment of silence from the other end of the line, as if Neil was considering it but Andrew gave in. He wouldn’t admit it, but he didn’t want Neil to go just yet. 

“Practice was boring, but it’s Exy so that’s to be expected. The new striker tripped on his laces, so that was a highlight.” 

“Did you have something to do with his untied shoelaces?”

“No. No fun that way.”

“Sure…”

“Coach said you don’t need to start this week. He knows you’re getting back right back a couple hours before the game and might be jet lagged or whatever.” 

“Oh.” Neil said. Andrew could hear the strained panic in his voice and let it hang there for a moment as punishment for making him talk about the game to begin with. Finally he added,

“I told him if you didn’t start, I wouldn’t try. So sleep on the plane.”

Andrew could hear Neil let out a breath before he hummed appreciatively and Andrew could imagine the face Neil was probably making now.

“Stop.” Andrew said.

“What? I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re smiling fondly at nothing, I can tell.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re a bad liar. You used to be better at it.”

Neil scoffed through the phone before they sank into a comfortable silence, each man looking out into the nighttime ahead of him. Andrew could hear Neil stifle a yawn on the other end of the line.

“Neil.” Andrew said, voice quiet now.

“Andrew.”

“Go to bed.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Don’t act like an idiot.”

“I’m not.” Neil insisted, unsuccessfully trying to hide another yawn. 

“I hate you.” Andrew said, words lacking any bite. 

“So you’ve said.” Neil said.

“At least go inside. If you catch a cold, you can’t play.”

Andrew could hear fumbling through the speaker as the city noises got quieter and were replaced by the hushed tones of a quiet house. There was the creaking of feet on stairs and the soft thump of a door being firmly shut. The next time Neil spoke, his voice was low and quiet, not much louder than a whisper.

“I’m in bed. Happy?”

Andrew just let out a grunt in response, pulling himself up and out of his chair on the balcony to go inside, sliding the glass door shut and locking it again. 

He observed the bed to find that King still hadn’t stirred from Neil’s pillow and at some point, Sir had come in from the kitchen and was sleeping on Neil’s side too. They weren’t the same as Neil, but Andrew found he appreciated their presence in the bed. He’d gotten used to the weight of a second person. 

“Sir is trying to crowd me out of the bed.” Andrew complained, moving carefully under the blanket, trying not to shake Sir. 

“Sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not sleeping on the couch so that the cats can have the bed to themselves.”

“I would.”

“Well you’re an idiot so it makes sense.” Andrew said. 

Neil audibly yawned, but Andrew knew better than to tell him to sleep again. Instead, he just stayed quiet and let Neil tell him about the weird bedroom he was sleeping in before moving on to talk about all of the extended family members he’d met while he’d been in England. Just as Andrew had suspected, his voice got slower as he went on, finally trailing out and going quiet. Andrew listened to him breathing for a couple minutes before hanging up and sliding his phone onto the nightstand. 

Andrew pulled the comforter up a little, settling in and looking up at the ceiling. Just a few more days and Neil would be home. Andrew smiled a little to himself before sinking into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this little fic. Sorry it's short but I love them and just wanted to get something done.
> 
> Leave kudos and comments if you feel so inclined. 
> 
> I'm on tumblr @teen-content-queen so come find me there.


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